An academic at one university blamed “money obsessed” senior managers who had encouraged a “culture of rack ‘em, pack ‘em and stack ‘em” in an attempt to drive up funding.

The scholar – a lecturer in engineering and technology at a university in the south of England – claimed that managers had encouraged “unethical and immoral recruitment”.

Another academic from a university in the north east of England claimed that “students on science degrees are barely numerate and don’t always leave much better off”.

The comments come amid concerns over the effect of government reforms designed to increase the number of students going into higher education, with previous controls over admissions being lifted in recent years.

Many universities have taken advantage of the reforms to dramatically increase student numbers. It emerged last week that students at some universities were required to share single rooms or take up places in bed and breakfast accommodation because of limited space in halls of residence.

Separately, rising numbers of students are graduating with top degrees, with 69,625 (18.4 per cent) gaining a first last year compared with just 28,635 (11 per cent) a decade earlier.

In all, some 256,990 students (68 per cent) gained at least a 2:1 last year.

According to the Times Higher survey, 38 per cent of academics claim the “pressure to give better marks has risen” in recent years. Some 32 per cent believe their university has “compromised on students quality in order to maintain or boost student numbers”.

One science lecturer at a new university told the magazine: “It is not sensible for 50 per cent of students to graduate with first or upper-second class degrees.

“Forty years ago it was about 10 per cent. Senior management do not openly admit to that change, but frontline staff more or less passively fall into line.”

A professor in biosciences at a leading Russell Group university said “academic standards are slipping” and marking is “not hard enough”.

“Too many students are getting a first; 33 per cent in my subject,” the academic said.